The Mud Pots

A counselor was taking a class of students at the threshold of graduation. She was trying to impress upon them, the importance of availing of opportunity when it comes knocking. One of the students said, “Ma’am, in life all of us do not get the same opportunities. Some are luckier than others.” The teacher said, “Surely some are just born in better circumstances. But most of what you are able to achieve, depends upon what your attitude is in a given set of circumstances”. She looked out of the window. It was raining. There was a young boy selling mud pots, across the road. The teacher said, “Look at that boy sitting there. Can you see that he is surrounded with pots? Just watch for a few minutes.”

A couple of minutes later, she asked, “What do you see?” The students said, “The fellow has not been able to sell a single pot.” “Who would stop in the rain, to buy pots, he should better take the day off.” Another one said, “But, he has some patience. Imagine, braving the rain, just to sell a pot or two!”

The teacher waited till they had all finished. “Great observations! But I wanted you to look at the pots. Look carefully, the pot to the man’s right is standing upside down. So much rain water is falling, but this pot is not getting to collect even a drop of it. The one next to it is lying on its side. Only some rain water is falling into it. So it can collect only some rain drops and that too only up to a certain level for the rest shall flow out. There is a third one that has a hole at the bottom. It must be meant to be a planter. Although it is standing upright, all that falls into it flows out immediately because of the hole in it. Further left is one with a crack in it. Rain water shall surely collect in it but after the rain stops, the water shall slowly leak out and the pot shall be empty again.”

She continued, “On the right you can see four pots, one on top of the other. Water is collecting only in the upper most one. The lower three are not getting any water despite being upright, because they are covered. The one in the centre there is the one that is lying upright and open to the sky. That is the one that can collect the maximum rain water. The rain is falling equally on all. The position and qualities of the pots makes all the difference!”

Surely it is your attitude and not your aptitude that determines your altitude! This makes us think about the grace that God is showering on us all the time. However much we gather depends upon how we position ourselves.